Hedgerley Parish Council (HPC) seeks support in its campaign to limit the impact locally should Slade Farm become a gravel extraction site. This is looking likely as the site is under consultation to become a preferred site under the Draft Bucks Minerals & Waste Local Plan/2016-2036 Preferred Options Consultation. The consultation ends 27th September and Farnham Royal Parish Council supports their position and would urge residents to respond directly to the consultation. You may wish to note some of the points below which have been recommended by HPC’s Planning Consultants .

both Slade Farm allocations lie within green belt, and therefore the nature of development at Slade Farm should focus on mineral extraction only at these sites;

because the allocations are in the green belt, development ancillary to mineral extraction (e.g. concrete batching, processing, workshops etc.) should be discouraged unless “very special circumstances” can be demonstrated;

the scale of development at Slade Farm should be designed to ensure that proposals do not detract from the openness or character of the green belt i.e. small scale development only;

there are a number of cultural heritage assets within the vicinity of Slade Farm including a number of listed buildings (the nearest being Slade Farm house, a Grade II listed building) and Hedgerley Village which is a conservation area, potential development at Slade Farm should aim to conserve and enhance these assets and their setting and demonstrate that there is no adverse impact as a result, the draft MWLP fails to provide evidence that mineral extraction at Slade Farm would not result in an adverse impact on the setting of cultural heritage assets, and therefore is contrary to national planning policy (NPPF paragraph 134);

mitigation, restoration and aftercare associated with potential development at Slade Farm should be appropriate and enhance the historic environment setting.

the restoration of Slade Farm should be achieved without landfill or recycling as national planning policy suggests in the green belt;

restoration of Slade Farm should achieve a net gain in biodiversity;

restoration and aftercare should enhance the existing assets within the vicinity of the site (including environmental assets, landscape character, historic environment setting etc.) with a comprehensive restoration and aftercare scheme;

Slade Farm is located in an attractive rural area and development at these sites should conserve and if possible enhance the existing landscape character i.e. small scale development only with a comprehensive restoration and aftercare scheme;

proposals at the Slade Farm allocations should be of a proportionate scale so as not to result in visual intrusion in the surrounding area;